Hot Shots for Cold Climes – Evaluating Treatment of The Hardest Icy Spots

Date and Time: Tuesday, May 9, 2023: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Keck 100

 

Lead Presenter:  Stephen Druschel, Professor of Civil Engineering
Affiliation:  Minnesota State University, Mankato
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Lead Presenter Biography

Dr. Steve Druschel is a Professor of Civil Engineering at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he teaches capstone design, introductory civil engineering and environmental engineering courses. He performs research related to surface water protection, waste treatment and winter deicing. Previous to his academic appointment, Dr. Druschel worked in civil engineering practice for 25 years, focusing on achieving quality and performance for high-risk environmental construction projects where public confidence and engineering performance were critical. Dr. Druschel worked on projects in over 40 states and was licensed as a professional engineer in 10 states (one state currently). On sabbatical for the 2022-23 academic year, Dr. Druschel is studying how bias and discrimination can effect stakeholders on infrastructure projects. 

Co-Authors

Presentation Description 

Roadway deicing and snow removal is a balance between achieving a winter driving “level of service” and cost - not only money but labor, equipment and environmental impact. However, every roadway has trouble spots, prone to: drifting, ice fog, blow ice, shading, or perhaps refreeze on awkward cross slopes on curves. For trouble spots like these, the consideration of environmental protection can be neglected, and much good work of deicer optimization can be negated.

Working with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, specific conditions evaluated include:
• Blow ice: very dry snow, wind eroded and blown onto slightly warmer roadway surfaces whereupon black ice forms under blue skies;
• Drifting: wind pushed snow, whereupon vehicles may track over and create roadway ice;
• Ice fog: cold air sinking and following topography to low spots, particularly when trapped by trees blocking an outlet, with temperatures then dropping below the dew point, resulting in frost on the roadway as black ice;
• Shading: localized shading of pavement by trees, structures or hillsides, resulting in lower roadway temperatures when not receiving sunshine warming, disrupting uniformity of post-storm recovery; and,
• Refreeze: Melted snow or ice, not fully drained from the pavement, encountering either a sudden reduction in temperature (i.e., sunset) or a dilution of deicer concentration, refreezing on the pavement surface, creating ice patches.

Results from this study can be used to justify speed reduction or road closure decisions, and provide strength for discussions addressing roadway salting and environmental damage.

Extended Summary

Extended Abstract

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Presentation Video